Just had a thought; where did flu viruses in the United States come from 50 years ago when China was not a player and everything was made here, there was zero passenger airline traffic between us and them, etc.? People traveling from other parts of Asia?
I've always been under the understanding that influenza viruses originate in Asia every year, maybe I have that wrong? Globalism and prosperity have certainly set us up for the perfect storm wrt spreading a virus around the globe. Think of Wayne's acquaintances who got infected--how many groups of Americans jumped on a plane to go skiing in Italy 50 or 60 years ago? I'd say close to zero. Now, I know plenty of folks who do such things.
We have created so much wealth and travel is so cheap, (historically speaking), we now have jet airliners full of well-traveled people coughing on each other. This virus will spread but I don't think that everyone will get it. Even China seems to have contained it somewhat at this point...think of the overall population of China vs. the number of cases. There is no way it is as contagious as the flu, IMO.
I also think that the U.S. is doing the right thing by shutting everything down now to try to slow it down. People in China will put up w a lot that we will not, (because they have no choice). If we had people dropping dead in public and dying outside ERs here, believe me, everything would be shut down and it would make what we are going through now look like a picnic. And I'm including financial markets. I think some smart disease specialists and economists are huddled in WDC and QBing this.